Binder for shoe uppers



' ay 30, 4- J. M. PERO ETAL 2,350,185

BINDER FOR SHOE UPPERS' Filed Aug. '28, 1942 Patented May 30, 1944 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE BINDER FOR SHOE UPPERS John M. Pero, Randolph, and Nathan Daniels, Malden, Mass.

Application August 28, 1942, Serial No. 456,460

1 Claim.

Our present invention relates to the manufacture of boots and shoes, and more particularly to shoe uppers and the binding material known as French cord, particularly elastic binding, and to the method of making said binding and applying the same, this application being a continuation-in-part of our prior and copending application Ser. No. 382,088, filed March 6, 1941.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes, it is customary to apply a .binding strip around certain edge portions of the upper, or upper and lining, by stitching an edge of the binding strip, and then folding or turning the strip over the edge of the upper, and securing the opposite unstitched edge of the tape by cement.

Such binding strips, particularly when made of elastic, are extremely difiicult to prepare and coat evenly with adhesive for the stitching of the unstitched edge portion; and our invention aims to improve, perfect, and simplify this particular operation and, hence, to make the shoe upper more smoothly and evenly finished with the tape, eliminating wrinkling, simplifying the applying, and insuring a better sticking operation than has heretofore been practicable.

In carrying out our invention, We have discovered that by first coating the tape, and particularly elastic tape, that a base coat which may be either of adhesive or sizing or the like, and then applying the main adhesive coating either Widthwise of the strip or along the edge portion to be unstitched, but secured by the adhesive, we obtain a greatly improved result.

The tape, if elastic, is put under tension and the base coating applied widthwise and length- Wiseby any suitable means, such as by a brush, roll, or the like. Thereupon, the second or principal adhesive coating is applied on top of the now base-coated tape. This second adhesive coating may be applied along the edge, as noted, or may be applied to insure a greater mass of adhesive along the unstitched edge so as to insure better sticking. If the base coat is also of an adhesive nature, rather than as a sizing, it can be of cheaper material and yet will also merge with the second adhesive strip or coating to insure better sticking along the unstitched portion of the. tape.

An important advantage of this method results in the tape, particularly elastic tape, being maintained smooth and unwrinkled, and greatly facilitates both the operation of the second adhesive coat-applying, as well as the subsequent rolling or winding on reels or spools, and the unwinding of same when being applied to the shoe upper. As the'folding and applying operations are usually performed by a folding machine, having heat to soften the adhesive coating as it is folded over and applied to the upper, we prepare the base and the final coating with a differential of heat-responsive consistency.

In making the tape, we may also apply the first or base coating by means of a solvent; and the second coating by utilizing heat as the liquefying element, which will result similarly in the heated folding machine operation, softening only the second coating and not the base coating.

Preferably, the base coating will be of a consistency to afford some sticking on the actual edge part over which the strip is folded; and the second or adhesive coating may be of sufficient width to insure sufl'icient sticking or adhesion on the actual edge of the upper over which the-strip is foldedto prevent creeping or wrinkling.

We may also prepare the base coating of a suitable consistency relatively with the second coating, so that the first base coat will have the melting point at a higher degree than the second coating or thin coating on the outer edge. Thus, if we prepare the base coating with a melting point, for example, of 300 F., and the second or outer edge coating of 200 F., the base coating will receive the feeding devices and stitches without any objectionable result when the elastic tape is heated and applied under a temperature of approximately F. to200 F. to render the outer or thicker layer tacky and adhesive. This temperature will also serve to soften the base coat to cause it to hug and stick the edge portion, preventing creeping, free-floating, or wrinkling as heretofore explained.

A suitable base coating to carry out the above purpose, wefind, can be made from pale crepe rubber and a filler such as talc, and preferably also some coloring matter, together with a suitable solvent such as petro-benzol to liquefy the mixture and enable it to be readily applied as a base coating to the elastic binding tape, and which will have a relatively, high melting point at approximately 300 F.

For the second coating, we can use, for example, pale crepe rubber, chicken wire balata,

carnauba wax, ozokerite, and cumar ground up and mixed and made liquid by heat for applying to the base-coated tape, which latter mixture would have a melting point of from 165 to 200 F.

We can thus provide a French cord coated elastic binding with a base coat preferably applied while the elastic is stretched or under tension. The base coat fills the interstices in the tape when so stretched, and this base coat may be sufliciently thin to eliminate the danger of sticking to the sewing machine feeding devices and needle, and of a non-sticking sizing, and also the second layer may be thin at the stitching edge but will preferably insure the sticking of the tape widthwise throughout its entire extent, thus more firmly binding the tape over the edge of the upper on which the tape is folded.

While we find it desirable to utilize the twocoating system as above explained, applying the same under tension, we find that it is also pos-- sible to apply a single coating of adhesive across the entire width of the tape with a substantial increase of greater thickness at the outer edge than at the sewing edge.

Other features and advantages will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

Referring to the drawing illustrating preferred embodimentsof our present invention:

Fig. 1' isa diagrammatic view, partly broken away, showing our double-coating invention on elastic tape;

, Fig. 2v is. an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line[22 .of Fig. 1

. EigQB isan enlarg ed cross-sectional view on the line 3- 3; of Fig. ,1;

Figs, l and 5. are diagrammatic views illustrative of the stitching, folding, and sticking operation, applying the tape to the edge portion of a shoeupper;

Fig. 6': is a; cross-sectional view illustrating the base, coating thinned at the stitching edge and thickened at the opposite or sticking edge, and

Eig. I -is across-sectional view showing the two coatswidthwise of the tape, with a second coating thinned, at the stitch-receiving edge and thickened at the outer or sticking edge. Referringtothe drawing,lillustrates a typical elastic -tape ofv any desired material, and 2 is a coating ,of adhesive applied widthwise and lengthwise-on one surface of thetape I. Preferably, this coating extends from. edge-to-edge of the tape, asclose as practicable to apply same so that whenthe tape is put; under heat; and pressure, the;adhesive coatingl will not'flow, out beyond the edge of; the tape-Land show'or ,bleed! Asecond coatin 3; is then applied along the outer; e ge Which' insures betterv sticking. of this edge portion while still maintaining the elastic: tape l smooth widthwise because of-the firstor base; adhesive coating 2;;asv above explained.

,These coatings 2, and 3; may be; of, different materiahorof the same adhesive, any suitable rubber cement or latex,- being. feasible for this purpose. For the first coating 2, however, we are enabled to usea, cheaper adhesive than for thepsecondcoating}, which is animportant advantage incur present invention.

In the drawing we havegreatly. overdrawn the relative thicknesses of the base, or first, and the second, o main, adhesive coatings in order to clarif-ythe showing. In actualpractice the'base coating would be merged into the face of the tape, permeatingslightly thesame; and the secondcoating- .would be so thin as to not show any appreciable thickness, ribs., or riblikeshoulders. n With theflnished tape as shown in Fig. 1

and on cross-sectional lines 3--3, here illus-- trated as considerably enlarged, and with the adhesive coatings shown of greater thickness for clarity than in actual practice, the tape is applied to the usual upper materials 5 and stitched approximately along the line B of Figs. 1 and 4 by rows of stitching 1, with the adhesive coatings outside, and thereupon the tape is bent or folded around the stitched edge, as shown in Fig. 5, and the outer edge portion 8 with the double coated surface is folded and secured to the upper materials on the opposite side to that on which the tape is first stitched, thus giving afinished appearance to the edge of the upper 5.

It is customary to utilize a folding machine with heat-applying means so as to insure the softening of the cement just before it is folded, applied, and pressed against the edge upper. This operation effectually merges the second layer 3 into the first coating 2, flowing the adhesivetcgether and eliminating any substantial shoulder, such as shown at 9 in: Fig. 3' and overdrawn.

In Fig. 6- wehaveillust-rated the base coat, H of' greater thickness at the edgeportion to be unstitched, with an adhesiveco-ating l5 applied in substantially uniform thickness, facilitating the applying operation ofthe adhesive in this manner; while in Fig. 7. the base coating Hi'is applied of even thickness and, the adhesive coating l8 being slightly tapered at the outer or unstitched edge.

In either of the various'forms, thebase coating can be made; of cheaper. material, whether adhesive or sizing, and, thus: considerable expense is;- saved, while giving the advantages of a thin adhesive coating, particularly at the stitching edge, which will eliminate; gumming and stickingof the needle and-presser-foot on the'sewing machine during the stitching operation.

Our: improved .method, giving a greater thickness of adhesive at, the. outer or folded edge, giving a better stickiness thereto, while insuring; adhesiveness throughout the entire width of the tape, produces a;better,,smoother, and more,

easily applied article, simplify-ingthe operation, permitting high speedinthe, stitching and-fol d ing,, and eliminating; the objection heretofore found of insufficient; stickiness and any freefloating over the, edge being folded.

We claim;

As a new article of manufacture, an elasticbinding tape adapted; to, haveone edge portion stitched to a shoeupper, with a portionthereof folded widthwise-over the edge of the upper, and secured. by adhesivea-long the opposite edge without stitching, consistingina relatively thin base coatingv of. adhesive extending lengthwise andwidthwise of the-entirestrip, and a second. coating of adhesive superimposed. on one mar ginal portion only'of: the base coating, said basecoating having a. melting pointv of approximately 109 F. higher than that of the thicker coating,

whereby, a predetermined. heat. will cause. the

second coating to become: tacky. and adhesive without causing the. base coating to. become similarly adhesive.

J OHNjM. PERO. NA'IHAN. DANIELS. 

